PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail today fired back salvos at Umno leaders who had belittled the party's recently concluded direct elections, claiming that the PKR mandate has more legitimacy than Umno's.

“True, our voter turnout is just about eight percent out of our 400,000 members. 70,000 members voted in the divisional elections and 30,000 voted for the central leadership.

“But remember that (Umno Youth chief) Khairy Jamaluddin was only voted in by 0.035 percent of all movement members. He only had 300 voters out of the 800,000 Youth members,” said Saifuddin (left) during his winding up speech at the PKR national delegates congress in Petaling Jaya.

“(Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak) said that our direct election is a gimmick. But their leadership only received the mandate of 0.07 percent out of the supposed 3.4 million Umno members,” he said, poking holes at Umno's delegate voting system.

“That's why they are out of touch with the rakyat's sentiments. There are still the hardcore poor, people are still buying cooking oil in plastic bags and rice in half kilo supplies.

"Instead of looking after them, they would rather build a 100-storey tower,” said Saifuddin to roars of laughter and applause from the delegates.

Yesterday, Khairy had rubbished the PKR poll's voter turnout, saying the newly elected leaders had no moral authority to lead.

26 November 2010

The Kuala Lumpur High Court judge in the Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial will decide on Dec 6 on whether to recuse himself from hearing the case.

It is expected that after judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah announces his decision on the defence's recusal bid, the court will then proceed to determine when the trial will continue. The court had initially fixed the whole week of Dec 6-10 for hearing.

DPP Mohd Hanafiah Zakaria had this morning argued in court on behalf of the prosecution that Anwar's application was “frivolous and vexatious”.

Lawyer Param Cumaraswamy for Anwar said the defence would respond to the prosecution in a written submission as lead counsel Karpal Singh was in the appellate court this morning for another case.

This is the second time that Anwar is making his application to recuse Zabidin, the first was after the judge's refusal to cite contempt against Utusan Malaysia for a report the defence claimed was prejudicial to the case.

25 November 2010

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today hears defence lawyer Karpal Singh's submission to disqualify the judge from continuing to sit in the sodomy trial.

This follows Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's bid to recuse justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah for not abiding by a Supreme Court decision in not allowing an expert witness supply documents which was used during a medical examination of the sodomy complainant.

Another reason Anwar is making the application is because Zabidin had made a threat of contempt against Karpal, despite that the judge had withdrawn it.

Karpal begins his submission. He argues his judge recusal is a serious application. Karpal says judges and magistrates must be impartial and must be seen to be fair and impartial. He cites the case of former High Court judge KC Vohrah recusing himself voluntarily in hearing a trial in line with accepted norms.

Referring to the Judges Code of Ethics, Karpal argues that judges should perform duties without bias and prejudice. He says under the code, judges can be subject to disciplinary proceedings if he is found to be bias. Karpal also refers to the Judges Ethics Committee Act, where judges should perform their duty without prejudice. He also refer to the Bangalore Principal 2002 on judicial integrity, where such principles of impartiality and the performance of duty without prejudice should be applied.

Karpal refers to the defence's application for recusal of justice Zabidin for not abiding the Supreme Court decision in denying Anwar access to the clinical notes, and for threatening counsel (Karpal) with contempt. Karpal reminds the court that according to Article 5(1) in the federal constitution, all Malaysians are entitled to have a fair trial in an open court.

Karpal says judge Mohamad Zabidin must reflect on the contempt threat made by him yesterday against the counsel (Karpal), bearing in mind its effect on his client (Anwar). "There is necessity for us to insist that your lordship recuses yourself. There is a real danger of bias (following the contempt threat by the judge)."

Karpal Singh has reminded the judge presiding over the Anwar Ibrahim trial that the case is under worldwide scrutiny. In applying for High Court judge Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah to voluntarily recuse himself, Karpal said the comments made by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the presence of US embassy officials observing the trial proves that.

“Your lordship is under close scrutiny, and Malaysia's legal system is also on trial as a result of this case. “Hilary Clinton has called for a fair trial. The presence of the US embassy officials in the trial as observers is also proof of that,” he said.

Karpal said if there is a real danger of bias, then the judge should withdraw himself. He also pointed out a Federal Court finding, where former Court of Appeal president, the late Justice Abdul Malek Ahmad, who had reprimanded the then-trial judge Augustine Paul.

“In the judgment, Abdul Malek had commented Paul had acted as if in defence of the public prosecutor,” he said.

“I am not trying to threaten Yang Arif by suggesting the trial may be overturned, but there is this finding of fact on the-then trial judge,” he said.

DPP Hanafiah says the prosecution needs some time to prepare its reply to the defence's submission. "Datuk Yusof is not well and we need time to prepare," says Hanafiah. It is understood that Yusof had an accident this morning and injured his leg, although his exact condition has yet to be confirmed.

Former Penang chief minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, 91, died at his home in Tanjong Bungah, here, at 9pm today.

Lim had earlier been warded at the Penang Hospital for almost a month following a stroke and was brought back to his residence this evening. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon when contacted, confirmed Lim’s demise and said an official announcement would be made.

Lim was the second Penang chief minister, for 21 years from 1969 to 1990, and held the Gerakan presidency from 1971 to 1980.

Born in 1919 in Penang, Lim studied at the Penang Free School and was the King's Scholar in 1937. He obtained a degree in medical and surgery from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in 1944.

Prior to joining Gerakan, Lim was MCA president from 1958 to 1959, during a time when the party was facing one its most tumultuous times. In December 1960, Lim left the MCA and formed the United Democratic Party in 1962. He was among the key figures who formed Gerakan just before the 1969 general elections.

He continued on as Penang chief minister, he eventually retired from politics after he was defeated by DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang in his Padang Kota state seat at the 1990 general election. Following his retirement from politics, Lim became a businessman and was awarded the Tunship.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, also expressed his “deep sorrow” upon hearing of Lim's demise and extended on behalf of the Penang government hi deepest condolences to Lim's son Chien Cheng and his family.

However, the judge ordered that hospital's 'pro-forma' form - a standard format document on handling vistims of sexual abuse - be handed to the defence. The document has particulars of the medical examination conducted on sodomy complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

The pro-forma form is a standard sexual assault victim guideline form which has to be filled in by physicians who examined the victim. It is learnt the pro-forma form issued by HKL has 17 pages, which also provides details of the patient or victim's medical history.It is believed to be separate from the doctor's medical notes.

Anwar in his supporting affidavit claimed that there was a threat made by the judge to intimidate him. The senior counsel said he feared a real danger of bias following the intimidation made, although the judge had withdrawn the statement. Anwar in his supporting affidavit quoted verbatim the court proceedings which began with Zabidin not abiding with the Supreme Court decision that all documents related to expert witnesses where the court could form an opinion should also be provided to the defence.

Anwar in his affidavit stressed that his application is based on intimidation made by the judge on his lawyer. “The right to a fair trial is of course a universal principle,” he said in the affidavit.

Judge: What you said can be constituted as contempt.

Karpal: The issue of contempt of court does not arise as I have to ensure the interests of my client.

Judge: The case of Zainur Zakaria is clear.

Karpal: The threat of contempt is unwarranted. You have to look at it objectively. To threaten us at this stage before filing is not right.

Judge: I am not saying contempt.

Karpal: To intimidate counsel is serious matter. To say it is contempt is unwarranted. We have a duty to perform to our client. This threat of contempt Yang Arif should withdraw.

Judge: Okay, I withdraw that.

Karpal: It is not proper for Yang Arif to have said that.

Judge: Okay! Okay! It's not proper.

Karpal says a motion has been filed to recuse the judge. Because of this, he does not want to continue cross-examining Siew and wants the application for recusal be heard tomorrow."Anwar is concerned (over whether) he would get a fair trial."

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out the prosecution having a lot of najib...ooops sorry, najis in their case. And my 15 years old neighbour has this to say,"Hey uncle!! obviously there are two reports one-doctors' report and two-doctored report.....

Judges have wide discretion to write their grounds of judgment either in the national language Bahasa Malaysia or English.

In delivering the ruling today, the Federal Court also dismissed Anwar Ibrahim's appeal against a Court of Appeal judgment over a defamation suit he had filed in 2006 against Dr Mahathir Mohamad because it was in English. The appellate court judgment was however written in English.

Chief Judge of Malaya Justice Arifin Zakaria said this morning that the grounds of judgment do not constitute part of a judgment. He nonetheless declared that the court views seriously the use of the national language in courts. Justice Arifin cited a 1990 circular by former Chief Judge of Malaya, Justice Hashim Yeop Sani, in which he said that at least one judgment must be written in the national language.

Following the decision - which led to the appeal being struck out - Arifin ordered Anwar to pay costs of RM70,000, although Mahathir's lawyer VK Lingam had applied for RM100,000. Lingam said he had to prepare more than 2,000 pages of documentation with two other lawyers. He further said a benchmark must be set for leave applications in Federal Court cases, citing a decision where the apex court had agreed to award RM100,000.

Karpal had raised a novel constitutional issue at the apex court on Sept 27, when he said all written judgments should be in Bahasa Malaysia. He was making a preliminary objection after the Court of Appeal dismissed Anwar's appeal last December on the grounds that it was not submitted in the national language. Ironically, the court's judgment itself was rendered in English.

Karpal then asked the apex court to compel the Court of Appeal to write its judgment in Bahasa Malaysia, after which Anwar's appeal application could proceed. “Most of the written judgments in civil or criminal cases are in English at all levels of the court,” he said. “Hence, this brings into question the validity in the jurisdiction of all those judgments which are written in English.”

Karpal said Section 8 of the National Language Act states that all proceedings (other than the giving of evidence) in the Federal Court, Court of Appeal, the High Court or any subordinate court shall be in the national language. “This provision also applies to judges, as this does not provide them with the exception of writing judgments in English,” he said.

His lawyer Karpal Singh said he would consider filing a review. Arifin led a three-member panel also comprising Federal Court judge Justice James Foong and Court of Appeal judge Justice Suriyadi Halim Omar.

source:malaysiakini

My RM70k question is does language has boundaries when you need to serve justice?......

More than half a million candidates nationwide are sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examinations which began today.

A spokesman of the Malaysian Examinations Council said 53,504 candidates were taking the STPM examination at 760 centres until Dec 16.

He said the council had set up an operations room which could be reached at 03-61302666, 61303606, 61352035, 61352390 or 61352316. It will operate from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm during the period of the STPM examination.

A spokesman of the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate said 467,970 candidates were taking the SPM examination at 3,594 centres until Dec 20.

23 November 2010

The Selangor government has given water concessionaire Syabas 14 days to stop its Tabung Budi fund collection programme or it will lose its licence to supply water. According to the office of the Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim today, Syabas had been notified and directed to inform the state government and advertise in all the main newspapers that it had stopped the Tabang Budi programme.

The notice, dated Nov 23 and issued by the director of the state's water regulatory body Nor Azmi Diron, also reminded Syabas that as a licensee it was authorised only to collect and keep overdue charges on water consumption from those households within its water distribution area. As such, Syabas cannot collect funds from the general public for the purpose of paying for overdue charges as it is now doing through Tabung Budi, the statement said further. The notice to Syabas was issued under Subsection 12(2) of the Water Supply Act 1997.

It follows a public spat between the state government and the concessionaire following the latter's announcement that it would collect funds from the public to allow consumers to waive their right to 20 cubic metres of free water worth RM11.40 monthly and return it to Syabas.

Khalid had said Syabas had no right to collect the money from water consumers who benefited from the state government subsidy. Those consumers wishing to donate the cost of water subsidy can return them to the state government, not Syabas, as it is state money meant for the people, said Khalid. Collecting the funds from the public would mean the concessionaire is seeking to be paid twice, he added. Syabas said the money would be used to reconnect the supply of those denied water for failing to settle their bills.

Meanwhile,Selangor Menteri Besar's political secretary, Faekah Husin expressed shocked over the scheme's intention to deduct RM11.40 from Syabas staff. “The question is, is the RM11.40 deduction the same for all Syabas staff? Does it differentiate between white collar and blue collar staff?

“Will a Syabas technician who earns RM2,000 a month be subjected to the same deduction as Syabas executive chairperson Rozali Ismail(left), who is paid RM425,000 a month or RM5.1 million a year?” she asked.

Faekah said that from the above examples, it was clear that Syabas' Tabung Budi was not a “sincere” effort to help the needy.

“It is very improper for Syabas to burden its workers when its chairperson receives such an extraordinary salary,” she said.

Anwar Ibrahim’s legal team has demanded today that a witness in the Opposition leader’s second sodomy trial be cited for contempt of court. Lead defence counsel Karpal Singh claimed today that Hospital Kuala Lumpur forensic pathologist Dr Siew Sheue Feng had committed an offence punishable under the Penal Code “for interfering with the administration of justice.”

In his contention, Karpal claimed that Dr Siew, who had refused to produce or refer to a proforma report (a form or a list filled by a doctor before performing an examination on a patient) during the cross-examination, had in fact referred to it during a court recess this morning. Dr Siew had refused to refer and produce the said report, despite him not being able to remember parts of the report, during the cross-examination when Anwar’s lawyers requested for it.

Karpal reminded that a witness is to remain under oath even during a break, which meant that Dr Siew had committed an offence by “refreshing” his memory at break time. “During court break, the witness (Dr Siew) chose to refresh his memory by looking at the report. He has admitted to it,” said Karpal.

“A witness remains under examination during the break. Even during adjournment of case, witness cannot refresh his memory. “There are two offences here. One: contempt of court. Two: interfering with the course of justice. “In fact, he can be prosecuted,” said Karpal.

Following Dr Siews refusal to produce the report, Karpal demanded that whatever material used by Dr Siew to refresh his memory be supplied to the defence. In turn, lead prosecutor Datuk Yusof Zainal Abiden contended that there was no legal provision which limited when a witness could “refresh” his memory.

Youth and Sports Minister Shabery Cheek said the absence of Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) top officials officials contributed to Malaysian top shuttler's Lee Chong Wei's defeat at the 16th Asian Games yesterday.

Lee lost the men's singles title to China's Lin Dan in three sets.Lee is the reigning All England champion and he had also bagged two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last month. He is also the world No. 1 ranked player.

"The BAM officials did not go to China to watch our badminton matches, causing our badminton team in the Asian Games to lose," suggested Shabery. The minister said that as badminton is the country's national sport, the nation's dignity was at stake.

Shabery's said the success of the national men's hockey team which will be playing in the semifinals in the Asian Games next week was due to support from its leaders. According to him, the presence of Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) officials notably its president, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, the crown prince of Pahang, as well as former president Perak Sultan Azlan Shah, made a big impact on the team's performance.

"Chong Wei's failure needs to be viewed seriously. I want to see more sports association leaders present besides just the managers because every little bit helps."

Although Shabery did not point out at anyone in particular, the president of BAM is Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, with Pahang prince Tengku Kamil Ismail Tengku Idris Shah as deputy president, and the patron of the association is Rosmah Mansor.

source:malaysiakini

How lame can an excuse be and coming from a Minister. This shows the level of stupidity among our so called' intelligent' leaders.

Lee Chong Wei lost to a better player not because of no support.....mangkok!!!

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was denied access today to the medical notes of three Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) doctors, which his lawyers argue the prosecution must produce along with all evidence in his sodomy trial.

In today’s decision, High Court judge Datuk Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah ruled that the defence had failed to give reasons as to why the court should allow Anwar access to the medical notes.

Mohd Zabidin said that in Malaysia, the right for an accused to be supplied with the necessary documents depended on the existing criminal procedure code (CPC), as well as the prosecution team. “SP2 (Dr Razali Ibrahim) was called by the prosecution, what is important for the court is his oral testimony. “Notes are only to be used to refresh SP2’s memory... it is not legally admissible, and SP2 has said he does need to refer to the notes to refresh his memory.

Mohd Zabidin said it was the prosecution’s sole prerogative whether to provide Anwar’s team with the medical notes. “The notes are only admissible, if the prosecution decides so. If prosecution does not decide, then the defence cannot demand for the notes,” said Mohd Zabidin.

In response, Karpal said that he disagreed with the decision, but would accept it for now. “We have to reluctantly accept your Lordship’s decision, but we find it a perverse decision,” said Anwar’s lead counsel. The three HKL doctor’s handwritten medical examination notes were recorded during a three-hour examination of Anwar’s accuser Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan on June 28, 2008.

Karpal had earlier on argued that in any criminal case, evidence of an expert unsupported by data would be a serious misdirection by the High Court. “Evidence by expert would bear little weight if not supported by evidence. It is not a question of admissibility alone,” said Karpal.

The white-haired lawyer said that the judge needed to base his decision on the provisions of Section 45 of the Evidence Act. “The function of the expert is to give his honest opinion and place before the court all the data on which he bases his opinions, because it is the court who has to decide the case and accept of reject his opinions.

“In the absence of a clear and precise statement of his reasons, it is difficult for the court to appreciate the opinion of the expert. It is also not fair to the opposite side who is to cross-examine the expert on the correctness of his opinion. “Any opinion given without stating the reasons is valueless and is of no use as evidence,” said Karpal.

In his judgment, Mohd Zabidin had also ruled that the toxicology reports done on Sodomy II accuser Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan would not be expunged and would be used for the purpose of the on-going trial. “They (prosecution) had admitted it was an oversight. If it was not attached at the beginning of the trial it should have been expunged,” said another one of Anwar’s lawyers, Sankara Nair.

Sankara told reporters outside court that the defence “was considering” on filing an appeal against Mohd Zabidin’s decision today, but would only confirm it later on today. “If it’s necessary, then we will file (an appeal),” said Sankara.

21 November 2010

'Zaid's loss is only a cabinet post - and he is still as rich as before. As for Syed Husin - he lost six precious years in detention under ISA.'

Alan Goh: Syed Husin Ali, you have shown leadership by example when placed under the ISA. As a highly-qualified Malay, you could have joined Umno like most rent-seekers, become a rich, corrupted politician and build a RM24 million Balinese mansion in Petaling Jaya or Shah Alam. I have very high respect for you as I once did for YB Zaid Ibrahim. Alas, Zaid is just too impatient compared to your years of political struggle and suffering at the hands of Umno.

Freemsia: Zaid Ibrahim has been a total disappointment. Many were hoping that with him, we would have a formidable opposition pact to take our country to a two-party system. It is sad that this is happening. As for the 'March to Putrajaya'? That means nothing. It is just the name of a book.

Mygazee: It is not a matter of who we hold up to or who we should support. Those rebellious days are over - Azmin Ali is a fighter, but when it comes to administration of the country, I still prefer soft but tough politicians like Zaid.

Rick Teo: I admit I was wrong when I wrote an article that Zaid should be elected as deputy president. Events of the last few weeks has shown that he lacks the character of a leader. His flip-flop decisions on a lot of occasions only confirms his lack of a cohesive plan for the opposition entity. His ambition to quickly seize power only exposes his lack of will to reform the country. Pakatan will continue its struggle without you, Zaid, and we shall take over Putrajaya as planned.

Victor Johan: Zaid built the largest legal firm in Malaysia. But were there any legal suits handled by the company defending human rights and helping Malaysians to fight for justice, etc? Most of their legal business was government matters related to conveyancing. His company was the legal firm of choice for such transactions. The knowledgeable rakyat is not hoodwink by Zaid. I wanted change from the present administration of the Umno/BN regime, and was willing to back just about anyone who could assist us to obtain that desired change. Zaid came in at the right time, but alas, with a personal agenda.Ferdtan: Zaid's sacrifices in politics compared to Syed Husin Ali is a mismatch. Zaid's loss is only a cabinet post - and he is still as rich as before. As for Syed Husin - he lost six precious years in detention under ISA and was mentally tortured. In spite of the pain, he did not quit the fight for justice - especially for the poor landless squatters, and indirectly he lost his job as a university professor. And he remained poor. When he was detained under ISA when Hussein Onn as PM, there was a struggle for deputy president in Umno, and Ghazali Shafie - who was then the home minister - tried to get him to implicate Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Musa Hitam. Syed Husin could have got himself freed but due to his principles, he refused. Sigh... history would have been different without Mahathir in the picture.

Maitreya: Syed Husin Ali is a giant among freedom fighters who has persevered his whole life to bring about reforms in the political structure that would benefit the rakyat rather than a small elite cabal of the most thick-skinned, ego-driven, money-hungry, arrogant and corrupt amongst us. Zaid Ibrahim is very brash and foolish indeed to even attempt to malign a man of Syed Husin Ali's impeccable stature as a social philosopher and political icon - one who has maintained his belief and firm friendship with Anwar Ibrahim for so many decades. It saddens me to say this, but it's better for everyone that Zaid has revealed himself to be a fickle and finicky character long before he got anywhere near the highest office in the land.

Disagreeing with the PKR leadership is one thing, but to ventilate his unhappiness with them so vociferously and publicly at a time when the opposition forces need to be stronger and more coherent is nothing but self-serving.

When Federal Territory Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Chief and Supreme Council member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim announced his imminent quit decision, it did not surprise many, since the writing was already on the wall.

A gentleman he may be, but quitters go nowhere in politics, as one only need to flip through the annals of Malaysian politics for evidence. No leaders who had left the ‘system' had succeeded in achieving the desired goal by fighting their battle from outside the ring.

Furthermore, running battles don't win the war says an old English adage while another says a winner will never quit and a quitter will never win.

Tun Musa Hitam who was apparently unhappy with the then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, resigned as Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO Deputy President in 1987. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, once regarded as Prime Minister material too did not succeed after initially quitting Umno to form Semangat 46, also after a spat with Mahathir.

In 1987, Tengku Razaleigh challenged Mahathir but the latter managed to retain his position but UMNO was split into two separate entities as Tengku Razaleigh was left unsatisfied with the result. The split forced the court to declare UMNO as illegal and shortly after the court ruling, Mahathir re-established UMNO as UMNO Baru (New UMNO), while Tengku Razaleigh went on his own path and founded a new political party called Semangat 46 in 1989. The number 46 referred to the year UMNO was originally founded. Seven years later however, Tengku Razaleigh disbanded Semangat 46 and rejoined UMNO.

Former Health Minister and MCA vice president Datuk Chua Jui Meng was also billed as the future MCA president but when he quit MCA to join PKR, he has been playing only a subdued role. Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad, who was the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister before he resigned two years ago, had also quit UMNO to become an independent candidate and fight against UMNO during a by-election.

Seasoned and battle-hardened politicians had more or less anticipated Zaid's exit from PKR since he was among few leaders who preached transparency, fair play and honesty and regarded a man of principle. "But quitting will not change anything. You have to fight from the inside. It doesn't matter whether you are fighting the system, the chief or others within the party, because when you leave after having exhausted all avenues, you can still walk with your head held high," said a senior politician.

Zaid meanwhile, seems to have adopted the principles of Abraham Lincoln who had said: "I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. "I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong. My vision has not wavered. It was the reason I ran.

Zaid said it was made clear in his manifesto that he was running to move PKR away from the old politics of this country and to decentralize the leadership of the party so as to ensure that every voice was heard and that every member of the party could serve and contribute.

"Those who say that I have exhausted my options in Malaysian politics cannot be further from the truth. When I set out to contest in the party elections it was to offer the members of PKR an option, a new vision, for both the party and the country.

"I still have a very clear vision of how the politics in this country needs to be transformed and very definite views on what leadership means. I still believe the people of this country deserve better politics and better leaders.

"If I am not able to make headway in transforming PKR in these elections, it doesn't mean that I have failed. It means that I will try another way and will explore all possible options and avenues to ensure this transformation is achieved."

Rumours are also rife that Zaid may form his own party called ‘Keadilan Baru' but for that to happen and to gain a strong footing in Malaysian politics or pose a serious threat to the ruling coalition, time will be an essence, something that the maverick politician may not have at his disposal. It will be interesting though to see what Zaid has up his sleeves in the near future to establish himself in the political circle, just like how he had managed to establish his legal empire through Zaid Ibrahim & Co.- JR Letchumanan

source:klik4malaysia.com

Anwar is still the best bet. Anyway Zaid can join Zulkifli Nordin, Zaharin and the other political prostitutes, that eventually will end up nowhere.....

19 November 2010

Former PKR Federal Territories chief Zaid Ibrahim will not be quitting the party immediately, but will do so in a month from now. He told a packed press conference today that he has submitted his resignation letter to the PKR headquarters today, effective Dec 16.

Zaid has also vowed that come rain or hailstorm, he intends to contest in the next general election, either as an independent or as a candidate for a new party. "I will definitely contest in the next general election. If we fail to start a new party - although it is hard to fail because Malaysia has so many parties - then it will have to be as an independent (candidate)," he told reporters this morning at his home in Tropicana. "But politics is a lonely game, so it is better to contest with some friends under the same banner," he said of his plans to form a new political party.

Asked why he chose his resignation in one month's time - on Dec 16 - he said, "Why December 16? Well, if he (de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim) likes September 16, then I like December 16." It is understood that the party secretariat has acknowledged receipt of the letter. Zaid, who was flanked by about 10 supporters at the press conference, will spend the next three weeks speaking to his supporters.

Not a sore loser

Reading from a written statement, Zaid said that his departure from the party was due to "allegations and slander" from top party leaders. Among others, he claims that top party leaders have accused him of acting in bad faith, shown no loyalty to the party, is lazy, contributed little to the party and fails to understand the party struggle. "Anwar Ibrahim himself have labled me a 'Trojan horse' and 'sore loser'. I am unwilling to work with leaders who like to insult others, such as what they did to me," said Zaid.

Again invoking his resignation from the cabinet in 2008, Zaid said he had resigned due to the principle of 'collective responsibility' after he disagreed with the government's decision to arrest three individuals under the Internal Security Act. "This time, I am quitting because it is appropriate for me to do so when I'm no longer trusted by the top leadership who regard me as a traitor.

"I am not a coward nor am I a kaki merajuk (sore loser). I will continue to be my friends in politics and (continue my) struggle for health and responsible politics to defend the public," he said.

Harsh parting words

Zaid, who recently quit the deputy president race amid allegations of irregularities, also expressed his disappointment with PKR leaders who have criticised him and accused him of trying to destroy the party. "I never had ill-intentions. I joined the party as a lifetime member, along with my children... because we believed that this was the party of reform and transparency, which would bring hope to this country. I never had plans to start a new party," he said.

He added that he has built a rapport with small parties such as Kelantan-based Akim and Sarawak-based Snap in the bid to create a strong opposition. "If I was in charge of PKR, there would never be a three-corner fight in Batu Sapi.

"Those who want to continue with the hallucination and dream of (change by) Anwar can do so, but those who want real politics based on policies and issues and not just the perpetuation of certain personalities, (can join me).

"What has Anwar stood for? His black eye helped him, but what (reforms) did he do as a minister? Look at the facts," he said. Harsh parting words notwithstanding, Zaid claimed that he was not severing ties with PKR nor Pakatan Rakyat and is willing to work with the opposition coalition and BN on certain issues.

Anwar Ibrahim has finally openly condemned Zaid Ibrahim for kicking up a ruckus in the party that had given him ample opportunities and privileges.Speaking to reporters at his residence in Cherok To' Kun, Penang, Anwar said that Zaid was free to resign from PKR and form his own party, that Zaid had called a 'Keadilan Baru'.

In an attempt to show that PKR had been very accommodating to Zaid, Anwar then listed down a series of examples of how the former had been given special treatment. Anwar said that it was Zaid who asked to be accepted into the party when Umno gave him the boot in 2008. He claimed that Zaid then sought a leadership role within the party.

"He also asked to be candidate for Hulu Selangor (parliamentary by-election) although it was rejected by the (local) division and they raised their objections to the president.

"But we (still) gave him a chance and when he lost in Hulu Selangor, we gave him a chance to lead the Federal Territories PKR," he added. Aside from some hints on his Twitter page and vague comments from the press, Anwar had largely stayed away from issues raised by Zaid.

Zaid had claimed that there were serious irregularities in the ongoing PKR polls for its national leadership and blamed Anwar, along with his 'sidekick' Azmin Ali, for the whole affair. The party leadership, however, have claimed that Zaid had yet to provide evidence of these allegations, and despite this, the central elections committee had already implemented six out of seven of his suggestions to improve the process.

Anwar said the media controlled by Umno had only been highlighting the negative aspects of the party's direct election, not its positive side. He added that the election committee had taken heed of the various protests as there were many divisions whose polls were either postponed, withheld or had their annual general meetings reconvened, despite the results favouring certain parties.

"Why were these not highlighted? All these were decisions made by the Election Committee, it does not even come to my level," he said. "It looks like in divisions where he loses, protests are made, but when he wins, no protest; this is different from us protesting against the Election Commission whether we win or lose," he added

Anwar also cynically said that he expects Zaid to encounter no hassle in his attempt to register his new party, adding that Umno would certainly give their blessings.

"We will not be able to get it (a quick approval) but those Umno like, can get it. Just as how Perkasa got theirs," said Anwar.

On whether Zaid would still remain as the Pakatan Rakyat coordinator, Anwar said that the former was never appointed to such a position in the first place.

source:malaysiakini

The least Zaid expected is to be sacked like the other 'Z' guy - Zulkifli Nordin. Zaid left UMNO because he was fighting for justice, righteousness and transparency.But in 1Malaysia there are no such things called justice, righteousness and transparency. Suddenly Zaid is getting all the necessary attention from the gomen media. If this is transparency,then something must be very wrong!

As for PKR, please learn this lesson and never take any UMNO dropouts even if the guy is Najib himself.....

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